Francis Dereham

Francis Dereham (1513-10 December 1541) was a Tudor courtier and a former lover of Queen Catherine Howard. King Henry VIII had Dereham executed for his adultery with the queen.

Biography
Francis Dereham was born in Crimplesham, Norfolk, England in 1513, and he had an affair with Catherine Howard during his stay at the estate of the Duchess Dowager of Norfolk in 1538. In late 1539, after Howard was made a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne of Cleves, the Duchess Dowager made Dereham a secretary at Hampton Court Palace, but, on 27 August 1541, he rashly approached Howard (now Queen) at Pontefract Castle, asking for employment. Catherine made him her Private Secretary and then a Gentleman Usher of the Queen's Chamber, but Dereham made the mistake of being a loud-mouthed braggart, arousing Thomas Culpeper's jealousy. Later, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer discovered Catherine's previous infidelity, and Dereham was charged with treason. On 10 December 1541, he died a traitor's death at Tyburn, being hanged, drawn, and quartered.